IC Disease

I now have sinus infection #5 since September.  I was doing better after my last round of antibiotics, which were very expensive, but now the old sinusitis feelings are back again and I feel like crap.  I missed work Sunday because I was so sick and I barely made it through work yesterday.  It is common for people who chronic illnesses like ME/CFS, FM and IC Disease to have problems with chronic sinusitis. 

I have tried different kinds of nasal sprays, antibiotics, and nasal rinses but so far nothing seems to help keep the infections away long term.  Yesterday at work one of the girls I work with suggested I try putting Vicks on my head for the sinus pressure headache.  So last night I tried it and it did help some.  I also put it around my sinuses and I got some relief that way, too.  I guess it’s back to the doctor again next week. 

Welcome to the March 23, 2009 edition of the IC Disease Health Blog Carnival. If you would like to submit a post to next month’s blog carnival, please follow the links at the bottom of this post.

Chris presents Medical Tourism - 5 Reasons to consider Goa posted at nomad4ever.

pnreddy presents 5 Effective Food Sources To Fight Against Depression! posted at Self Help Zone.

Sigrid Landau presents Learn The Natural Cold Sore Cures posted at A1 How To, saying, “It has been said that the viruses that causes cold sores actually do not leave your body once you contract them. However, this bitter fact must not keep you from looking for home remedies to lessen your pain.”

Pregnancy Hut presents Essential Newborn Baby Supplies to Have On-hand posted at Pregnancy Calendar, saying, “Expecting a new addition to your family can be both an exciting and stressful time in your life. There are many things you��ll need to do to prepare for”

Britannica Blog presents Top 10 Myths About Anorexia posted at Britannica Blog, saying, “There are many misconceptions about anorexia, and I highlight the ten most common myths in this article.”

Cory presents Exercising in a Recession posted at Eating Healthy, saying, “Thinking that exercise is too expensive is no excuse to avoid it. Here are some tips to get good, fun exercise for cheap.”

pnreddy presents Common Foot Problems In Women posted at Womens Health Zone.

pnreddy presents The Little Known Harmful Effects Of Coffee posted at Health Watch Center.

pnreddy presents How To Avoid College Weight Gain? posted at Fitness Health Zone.com.

Nancy Miller presents Make Sure Your Pills Don’t Become Ills posted at Pharmacy Technician Certification.

Nancy Miller presents Examining Cosmetic Surgery: 4 Considerations Before You Go Under the Knife posted at Surgical Technician Schools.

Andy FH presents Heart Chakra posted at Divine Magic, saying, “Cultivating and maintaining good posture is one of our modern challenges. In this lesson we will cover some pointers and techniques related to posture.”

Joel Gray presents Skin Cancer Awareness posted at Health Tips 101.

Brain Blogger presents Autism - No Need For A Cure? posted at Brain Blogger, saying, “The prevalence of autism has increased nearly 1000% in the United States over the last 15 years. Now, as many as 1 in 150 children may be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders”.

 Heartstrong presents Some new info about Strokes posted at Healthy Hearts with Heartstrong.

Heartstrong presents Stroke Outcomes in Women posted at Healthy Hearts with Heartstrong.

Heartstrong presents A Woman’s Guide to a Healthier Heart posted at Healthy Hearts with Heartstrong.

Brain Blogger presents Logistical Barriers to Stem Cell Research. posted at Brain Blogger, saying, “I recently attended a lecture by Wise Young, MD, PhD, who is a prolific researcher in the fields of spinal cord injury and stem cells. The lecture was fascinating, and part of the discussion was the current model for stem cell research. Currently we have two types of stem cells which are available for study: embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). As is well known, embryonic stem cells are derived from fertilized embryos that are allowed to multiply briefly before the cells are harvested. iPSCs are precursor cells found in adults, which are then chemically treated to revert them back to a stem cell.”

Jerry Navarro presents Fourth Stroke Indicator - the Tongue posted at All About Family and Health.

Sarah McCurdy presents Natural Cures For Boils posted at Health Log.

Sarah McCurdy presents Treatments For Psoriasis posted at Health Log.

Brain Blogger presents Lithium as a Neuroprotectant? posted at Brain Blogger, saying, “Lithium is an elemental chemical found naturally as an alkali metal. The ionic form can be used to form salts which are readily available for medicinal purposes. Although the exact mechanism of action for lithium is unknown, it is believed to function by simultaneously raising serotonin levels and lowering norepinephrine levels. Lithium is used primarily as a mood stabilizer, as it has the unique ability to treat both mania and depression.”

Robin Birch presents The Journey, With Brandon Bays posted at Let’s Live Forever!.

Nancy Miller presents Stem Cell Therapy - The Past, Present, and the Future posted at Pharmacy Technician Certification.

Joel Gray presents Summer Tea: Blackberry/ Raspberry Leaf Tea posted at Health Tips 101.

Martin Russell presents Phentermine For Weight Loss - My Story posted at Dr Martin W. Russell, saying, “As I was cleaning out some of my old medical files I came across a couple of letters from 1998 about the weight loss drug phentermine.”

Deb Serani presents Coping With Chronic Illness posted at Dr. Deb, saying, “This post looks at how to cope with Chronic Illness”.

JP Hagen presents Facts About Frozen Shoulder posted at Frozen Shoulder | Exercises, Treatment, Prevention., saying, “Frozen shoulder has been said to be a medical mystery. It has also been said to be the nastiest shoulder problem and some also says that it is the end-point of shoulder problems.”

JP Hagen presents The Best Treatments for Shoulder Pain posted at Frozen Shoulder | Exercises, Treatment, Prevention., saying, “The treatment for shoulder pain varies according to the cause of the pain itself. Thus, patients are generally advised to know the symptoms and learn the cause of their shoulder pain before going on a treatment program.”

JP Hagen presents Frozen Shoulder - What is it? posted at Frozen Shoulder | Exercises, Treatment, Prevention., saying, “Frozen shoulder is known to be the stiffness in the shoulder accompanied by pain and loss of movement. According to studies, this condition affects around 2% of the entire population.”

JP Hagen presents When to Consider Surgery to Treat Shoulder Pain posted at Frozen Shoulder | Exercises, Treatment, Prevention., saying, “While there are a lot of cases of shoulder pain which do not require surgery to be treated, there are some serious conditions in which surgery is not only vital, but might prove to be the only procedure that can restore one”

Dean Moyer presents Aquatic Therapy for Back Pain posted at The Back Pain Blog, saying, “Here’s an interesting study on Massage Therapy that appeared recently in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Though not specifically about back pain treatment, the study did offer some insight into Massage Therapy and the role it can play in general pain relief.”

pnreddy presents Colonic Therapy - Safe And Natural Method To Get Rid Of Degenerative Diseases! posted at Alternative Medicine Zone.

steven germain presents The (Avian and Other) Flu Virus - A Major Medical Development… posted at Rough Fractals, saying, “Video and discussion of breakthrough in flu vaccine development.”

Bill Urell presents What Percentage of Adolescents Needing Drug and Alcohol Treatment Get Help? Guess | Addiction Treatment Challenges posted at Addiction Treatment Challenges, saying, “Do you know how mant adolescents needing drug and alcohol treatment get it? What if it were your child?”

pnreddy presents Tips For Improved Home Workouts posted at Fitness Health Zone.com.

pnreddy presents Exercise Helps Fight Hunger posted at Fitness Health Zone.com.

pnreddy presents When To Work Out: The Best Time! posted at Health Watch Center.

Roy Schwartz presents 10 (Proven!) Reasons to Quit Smoking and How You Can Start posted at A Disease A Day.

Tristan presents Bicep exercises posted at Body And Fitness Blog, saying, “A host of different guides to doing various different bicep exercises to improve your fitness and strength.”

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of the IC Disease Heatlh Blog Carnival #11 using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Here’s another recipe to add to your IC friendly cookbook!  Try these burgers and remember to leave a comment on how they taste and how much you and your family liked them.

Spinach, Onion and Herb Burgers with Mozzarella

• 1 cup of fresh spinach leaves (not tougher stem parts), washed (cleaned) and finally chopped
• 1 lb of lean ground beef, chicken or turkey
• ½ cup white onion, finely sliced (use green onion if your bladder can’t tolerate white onion)
• Approximately ½ cup of dried bread crumbs (add a little at a time so that your mixture doesn’t get too dry)
• 3 tablespoons of cream cheese
• 3-4 tablespoons of  freshly chopped basil or 1 ½ tablespoons dried basil leaves
• lack pepper and salt to taste
• 4 hamburger buns or other buns of your choice
• Optional - mozzarella (or Monetary Jack, if you’re bladder can tolerate it) cheese to top

Any lettuce, vegetables and condiments that won’t affect your bladder

In a large mixing bowl, combine the spinach, onion and ground meat, stir well until combined. Add in the bread crumbs (leave out some if you think the mix is too dry, or add more if needed) followed by the cream cheese, basil leaves, salt and pepper; stir until the onion and spinach are well dispersed through the meat. 

Using your hands, on a dry clean surface or large plate for the meat mixture into 4 (or more, if you prefer smaller burgers) burger patties.

Cook the burgers over a medium flame on the grill (turning after 3 or so minutes) for a few minutes until browned and cooked through. Or lightly grease a large frying pan or indoor grill (I like to use Pam spray for this, but olive oil works nicely too) and cook the burgers over medium high heat for about 4-5 minutes per side (if you’re using beef the time may be less and for poultry you may need a couple more minutes).

Serve warm on your hamburger buns, topped with cheese if using. Garnish as desired. Any leftovers will keep, well covered, in the fridge for two days and are delicious eaten cold or crumbled over cooked pasta.

Makes 4 burgers (serves 2-4 people)

Another week has gone by already and it’s time to post the latest happenings from Fighting Fatigue.  Here are this week’s posts.

Resources: Arthritis Message Boards/Online Support Groups

As part of my Resources section on Fighting Fatigue, I have added message boards and online support info for those who suffer from arthritis.

Resources: Arthritis Websites & Blogs

This post includes a list of numerous websites and blogs that can be found on arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Resources: Arthritis Books & DVDs

Finishing out my resources section for arthritis are books and DVDs that are available on the subject.

ME/CFS & Fibromyalgia: How the Medications Can Become Overwhelming

Because CFS & FM are such complex illnesses, it takes many drugs and supplements to treat that can be emotionally and financially overwhelming.

How Adolescents With ME/CFS Perceive Their Social Environment

This post details research on pediatric ME/CFS.

FDA Offers Guidance for the Safe Use of Pain Medicine

The FDA has created and distributed a safe use document for prescription and non-prescription pain medications. The post includes the information and the link to the PDF document.

Listen to the New Face of Fibromyalgia Webinar

In this post you can click the link and download the software needed to listen to the New Face of Fibromyalgia Webinar sponsored by the American Pain Foundation.

Lidocaine Research Proves Favorable for Fibromyalgia Patients

Research on Lidocaine as a pain management use for Fibromyalgia and how IV infusions of Lidocaine proved most beneficial.

CFS + Fibromyalgia + PMDD = One Grouchy Mama!

Another one of my whining sessions on how bad I feel!

A new poll from the National Council on Aging revealed that Americans who suffer from at least one chronic illness are putting off receiving health care and are not taking medications they need to treat their conditions.  By not doing either of these, they are feeling isolated and depressed.

Carol Pryor, policy director of the Access Project in Boston, said of this poll:

“This report presents a distressing picture of the barriers facing those most in need of ongoing care and support, whether or not they have insurance. As we look toward reforming our health care system, we need to ensure that these barriers are reduced or eliminated. In some countries, for example, co-pays are waived for people with chronic conditions to ensure that they can get timely care without having to worry about the cost. This can reduce barriers to care and also lower costs in the long run.”

Another poll found that even those who have health insurance fear going to the doctor because of medical expenses they may incur that the insurance won’t cover. More than 50% of those polled were extremely concerned about the rise in cost for health care and medication issues.

To read more, visit the link below.

US News & World Report On Health Care

If you have ever wondered what an IC Disease bladder looks like, click on THIS LINK HERE to go to the Urology Channel website.  The bladder on the left is the IC Disease bladder.  Doesn’t that look painful?  What you see on this picture is what the urologist looks for when he examines the bladder during the cystocopy.  The urologist fills the bladder full of water, drains it, then fills it again and that is when the ulcers will be noticable. 

I have had a total of two of these outpatient operations done and the filling of the bladder to capacity is extremely painful when you wake up from the surgery.  Please make sure you take a look at the pictures on the Urology Channel.  If you didn’t have sympathy for IC patients before, this picture ought to do it!

I wore myself out today.  We are remodeling our kitchen, which is almost 45 years old, and I can’t believe how tired I am!  The pain in my leg is pretty bad also, even though I wore my compression stockings as instructed by the doctor.  The one bright spot was that my bladder didn’t act up even though I was on the move quite a bit.  I am so excited to be getting a new kitchen!  I have lived here for 15 years and I have been waiting this entire time to remodel.  Back in the 1960’s, kitchens were decorated with dark colors:  dark wood cabinets, dark stoves (cinnamon brown was the color of our stove.  Yes, we were still using the original stove!), and dark flooring.  My husband has health issues also so he has to watch how much work he does in a day’s time.  Fortunately, we can do all of the work ourselves so that saves us tons of money.

Is it worth being wore out to have a bright, beautiful new kitchen?  You bet!!

Prelief is a popular method of treatment for IC Disease.  Prelief is a dietary supplement made of calcium glycerophosphate that is used to help neutralize acidic foods and drinks.  Basically, Prelief works by taking acid out of food.  One Prelief tablet will reduce the acid in a 6 oz. cup of coffee by approximately 95%.

Naturally, for IC Disease patients, acidic foods and drinks can cause IC symptoms to become worse.  In order for Prelief to be effective, it must be taken right before acidic foods or drinks are consumed. 

Prelief can be purchased in either tablets or in powder form.  If you use the tablets, you will need to take 2 tablets three times daily.  If you choose to use the powder form of Prelief, you will add two packets to each serving of acidic food or drink. 

Prelief can be purchased through a company called AkPharma, Inc.  To check out the prices and to order, click this link HERE. 

It was yet another busy week at Fighting Fatigue as I spread the word on ME/CFS, Fibromyalgia and related illnesses.  I have been running the Fighting Fatigue website for three years now and I never grow tired of sharing news on chronic illness.  I hope you enjoy reading these weekly posts!

Fibromyalgia - 10 Tips to Defeat Morning Stiffness

Great tips from the National Fibromyalgia Association on defeating morning stiffness in FM patients.

Resources: Celiac Disease Books & DVDs

I have added resource information for Celiac Disease on Fighting Fatigue.

Monthly Updates From National Fibromyalgia Association

March’s news from the National Fibromyalgia Association.

Sign Petition to Raise Awareness During National Endometriosis Awareness Month

It’s National Endometriosis Awareness Month and you will want to read this post so that you can sign the petition.

My Vascular Surgery Has Been Postponed Thanks to Insurance Company

My leg surgery was cancelled due to the insurance company not having enough “documentation” of the problems I’m having with my leg.  I have to wear stockings for three months before I can be considered for the surgery.

Wikio’s Top 100 Health Blog Rankings for March 2009

Fighting Fatigue is listed in the top 100 health blogs on Wikio.  I have included links for all 100 sites on this post.

Lipomas In Fibromyalgia Patients

This post explains what Lipomas are and how they can be painful for Fibromyalgia sufferers. 

ME/CFS, Fibromyalgia & IBS News Around the Web

The latest Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia and IBS news found on the Internet. 

Adrenal Fatigue & Problems It Causes

This post explains what adrenal fatigue is and the different symptoms and conditions that can occur due to the adrenal glands not functioning properly.  Adrenal fatigue is common in both ME/CFS & Fibromyalgia.

Wow - this has been a very busy month for Jeanne over at Endo Blog and for all of the wonderful bloggers who are doing their part to raise awareness for Endometriosis Awareness Month.  I admire Jeanne for all of the time and effort that she puts into her website and what she is doing for Endometriosis sufferers.  Her spirit and enthusiasm is catching on and she is reporting on her blog all of the people who are getting involved.

For more information on Endometriosis, please follow links to these sites and articles below:

• Jeanne’s Endo Blog
• Endometriosis.org
• March Is National Endometriosis Month
• Endometriosis Association
• Endometriosis Institute
• Endometriosis Research Center

Please do your part and post about Endo. Awareness Month on your blog or website and make sure you sign the petition also!